Category Archives: Matt Hasselbeck

A Marshawn Kind of Way: This is an intriguing profile of Beast
Mode. Lynch didn’t agree to an interview following the Seattle
Seahawks win over the Eagles on Sunday, but MMQB writer Robert
Klemko does a pretty good job of telling Marshawn’s story from
people who know him and understand him. .

“He’s an introvert, but he doesn’t want to conform,” says
former Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. “What made Seattle
perfect, and allowed him to flourish, was the fact that Pete
Carroll never made him conform. Pete never gave him a dress code.
Him talking to the media was not treated like part of the main
thing. It’s a set of rules somebody at Park Avenue came up with,
and they mean nothing to him.”

“There are days when I don’t feel like dealing with media,”
says Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith, a friend of Lynch’s. “People
think he’s hiding something because he doesn’t want to talk. He
does his job and does it well, and he’s not interested in other
things. There are people who use the media to give false
perceptions of who they are. He’s not interested in any of that. He
just wants to ball.”

Mariners Lineup

Would you be happy if the Seattle Mariners 2015 Opening Day
lineup looked something like this?

1. Austin Jackson, CF

2. Melky Cabrera or Alex Rios, RF

3. Robinson Cano, 2B

4. Nelson Cruz, DH

5. Kyle Seager, 3B

6. Logan Morrison, 1B

7. Dustin Ackley, LF

8. Mike Zunino, C

9. Chris Taylor or Brad Miller, SS

Felix Hernandez, P

Everything’s in place except for the No. 2 spot in the batting
order. The Mariners are believed to be the front-runners to
sign Cabrera, who is coming off a year in which he hit
.301 with 16 home runs and an .808 OPS for Toronto. The
switch-hitter seems like an ideal fit. The M’s are
also believed to have targeted Alex Rios, who hit .280 with a .709
OPS for Texas last year. Either would be a significant upgrade,
although I’m still intrigued about the upside of James Jones. He
stole 27 bases in 108 games a year ago and we saw the
excitement he brings to the game when he’s putting the ball in
play.

Umpqua Community College’s Ashli
Payne (so., Olympic High) had 35 points and 10 rebounds,
and Sawyer Kluge (fr., Bremerton) added 16 points
and seven rebounds in a 69-63 win over Lane in the championship
game of the Bellevue College Bulldog Classic this weekend.
Kluge had 31 points and eight rebounds against Big Bend; Payne
went for 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists in that game.
Umpqua, second at the NWAC Championships a year ago, is off to a
6-0 start. Payne’s averaging 19.2 points and 8.3 rebounds; Kluge
16.3 and 5.3.

Art Thiel of Sportspressnw.com gets to the bottom of the
Mariners’ thoughts on why they oppose the SoDo site where Chris
Hansen wants to build his new arena. It’s all about parking, or
lack of it, and traffic congestion, says M’s CEO Howard Lincoln in
the exclusive interview.

Thiel also threw in this zinger at the end of the Q&A.

Last question: Is the club for sale to outsiders, or
is it for sale among the current owners via selling of shares to a
new majority owner?

Lincoln: I’ll say the same thing I said
before . . . pure nonsense.

*** ***

You gotta like Matt Hasselbeck, right? The best QB in Seahawks
history is so genuine, and down-to-earth. Check
out this interview following Tennessee’s Thursday night
win over the Steelers. Son Henry joined his dad on the NFL Network
show.

Trent Dilfer, a former teammate with Hasselbeck in Seattle, told
USA Today’s Matt Davis that Hasselbeck “saved his life,” during a
trying time in 2o03 following his son’s death. Read
the story here.

*** ***

The
Orange County Register breaks down the USC-Washington
game. This is Washington’s fourth straight game against a Top-12
program, and I like their chances. Some of Washington’s biggest
wins have come against the Trojans — the 13-3 win in 1981 on a
windy, stormy day at Husky Stadium over Marcus Allen and the
Trojans is my all-time favorite Husky memory. I can still see the
ponchos swirling in the air. More recently, Washington upset USC
16-13 at Husky Stadium in Steve Sarkisian’s first season in 2009.
They say it might rain on Saturday and the Trojans turned the
sprinklers on for Thursday’s practice. The rain won’t be a factor.
I think the keys will be Washington’s pass protection on offense
and ability to stop, or at least slow USC’s rushing game. Keith
Price is due for a big game.

*** ***

“He threw it bouquet style, like at a
wedding.” That’s how the announcer described this
over-the-head, no-look game-winning touchdown pass on
fourth-and-goal in an Ohio high school football game. You’ve
got to see it to appreciate it.

The
Los Angeles Times reported today that UCLA is still
interested in talking to Steve Sarkisian, but the Washington
football coach hasn’t shown any interest in the Bruins’ vacant job.
Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable and former Seahawks coach
Jim Mora have also been mentioned as candidates.

Washington, by the way, got another verbal committment for
the class of 2012 over the weekend when
linebacker/fullback Ryan McDaniel said he was going to play
for the Huskies. He’s from Torrance, Calif., same as UW coach Steve
Sarkisian. Defensive end Cory Littleton of Mount Miguel High in
Spring Valley, Calif., committed later in the week. That pushes the
2012 class to 19. Five of the 19 verbals are in-state
players.
Here’s the complete list.

Washington State also has
19 verbal committments, four from the state. There are no QBs
on this list, but you know that’s going to change with Mike Leach
coming to Pullman. This might be a good spot for Jake Heaps, who
has decided to transfer from BYU. After sitting out a year, he
would be a junior in eligibility wherever he lands.
Between Heaps and promising freshman Connor Halliday that
would give the Cougs some pretty good depth at that position.

Former Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck and Husky QB Jake Locker, now
teammates with the Tennessee Titans, ham it up for ESPN.com’s Kenny
Mayne, a former quarterback at Wenatchee CC and Pacific Lutheran
University.
Funny stuff.

The Angels spent $331.5 million to sign slugger Albert
Pujols and pitcher C.J. Wilson. Everybody always
complains about the Yankees buying pennants. Well, is it now
time to start hating the Angels like so many people hate the
Yankees?

Former Garfield and University of Washington star Brandon Roy is
reportedly contemplating retirement because of knee injuries that
have limited him. Even with bad knees, he was a force, averaging 19
points over five NBA seasons. If the Portland TrailBlazer gives it
up, he’ll still go down as second-greatest basketball player born
and raised in Washington state. The greatest? NBA Hall of Famer
John Stockton.

Danny O’Neil of the Seattle Times put together an
easy-to-follow chart of the Seahawks’ free agency business.

You find out who they’ve got deals with, what free agents are
going elsewhere and a list of Seattle’s remaining free agents.
Remember, contracts can’t be signed until Friday.

Defensive lineman Brandon Mebane, one of the Seahawks’ top
priorities, has been talking to Seattle and Denver.

And O’Neil reports that wide receiver Brandon Stokley’s decision
to sign with Washington was premature. He’s now back on the market,
according to his agent.

And I’m glad to see there’s somebody else, besides myself, who
isn’t down on Charlie Whitehurst.
John McGrath of the Tacoma News Tribune. He reminds us that
Whitehurst was 22-for-36 for 192 yards and a touchdown in the
playoff-clinching win over the Rams when Matt Hasselbeck was hurt.
And he did it with 0 fumbles and 0 interceptions.

I also agree with Peter King of SI.com, who says that Hasselbeck
deserves to be lumped into a category with guys like John Olerud
and Edgar Martinez in Seattle sports history. You’d be hard-pressed
to find a pro athlete who represented the city of Seattle any
better than Hasselbeck during his years with the Seahawks.

Wouldn’t you like to have really known what was going on when
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, GM John Schneider, offensive
coordinator Darrell Bevell and the rest of the
franchises’s brain trust sat down to discuss their quarterback
situation?

Take off your 12th Man jersey for a second. If you look at it
objectively, the Seahawks did the right thing, right?

Matt Hasselbeck: Great guy, team leader, but he
is gonna be 36 in September, is injury prone and his best
years are behind him. It won’t be long before he joins
older younger brother, Tim, as an analyst on ESPN. Wish
him well, but it’s time to move on. You know that’s what
the Seahawks’ braintrust was thinking. The Hawks
will miss kicker Olindo Mare, who is headed to
Carolina, more than Hasselbeck.

Tarvaris Jackson: Great athlete, big arm,
mobile, knows the system that’s going to be put in place. Has a
career completion percentage of 58.7 percent. Hasselbeck was 59.9
last year. Bevell was the offensive coordinator at Minnesota, which
drafted Jackson in the second round out of Alabama State. Nobody in
the league knows him better than Bevell, who must have recommended
him to Carroll. This is a new start for Jackson, who has 20 starts
under his belt. If the Vikings had not gone after Brett
Favre, Jackson might be a star right now. Or not. We’re going to
find out.

Kevin Kolb: Kolb must have come up in the
conversation. He seemed like a good fit for Seattle, having
operated a West Coast offense in Philadelphia. He blew his
opportunityh in Philly a year ago, and was pushed aside byMichael
Vick. The Seahawks must have have been tempted by Kolb, but
with Bevell running the offense, Jackson is a better gamble. Don’t
ya think?

Charlie Whitehurst: The jury’s still out on
Whitehurst, a.k.a. Clipboard Jesus. I think he’ll be the starter
when the Seahawks open the season. If Seattle can become a physical
team that relies on the run, Whitehurst will be a good fit. He’s
been inconsistent with his deep throws, but I think that’s
mostly because of his inconsistent opportunites. I don’t know
why everybody’s so down on the guy. He hasn’t really been given a
legit shot as a starter. He throws a great ball and he
did perform well in a 16-6 win over the St. Louis Rams to get
the Hawks into the postseason. Knowing that he’s the guy coming
into camp might be enough to get him to that next level.

Matt Leinart: I thought he’d find his way to
Seattle, but when word came down that the Hawks were signing
Jackson, Leinart oopted to stay in Texas instead of competing for a
job with the Seahawks.

Seattle didn’t seem to have any other QB options. It came down
to Hasselbeck or Whitehurst/Jackson. I think Carroll,
Schnieder and Co. made the right decision. Don’t expect a
Super Bowl run, but the Hawks might have enough to make a run for
another NFC West title.

And whether it’s Whitehurst or Jackson, you gotta like the fact
they’ll be throwing to 6-foot-4 Sidney Rice and 6-5 Mike
Williams, on paper the best receiving tandem the Hawks
have had in years.

There’s been a lot of speculation about the Seahawks trading for
Cincinnati QB Carson Palmer, which would reuinite the former USC
player with his college coach, Pete Carroll. Palmer has requested
to be traded. But Mike Brown, owner of the Bengals, says
Carson’s not going anywhere.

Matt Hasselbeck’s future with the Seahawks continues to be
debated.
Pete Carroll said contrct negotiations with
Hasselbeck, who is a free agent, broke down before the
lockout and deal wasn’t made. Will ever be made? There’s also
speculation that Seattle has discussed giving
Philadelphia a first-round pick for QB Kevin Kolb, now a backup
to Michael Vick. Kolb, like Palmer, is familiar with the West Coast
offense the Seahawks are reportedly moving towards. Maybe the
Seahawks make another run at Hasselbeck, sign him for a year and
keep Charlie Whitehurst as backup and go for a QB in the next
draft.

Wow, I woke up this morning and figured out I wasn’t dreaming.
The Seattle Seahawks really did beat the New Orleans Saints 41-36
on Saturday.

Marshawn Lynch really did break 334 tackles on a crazy 67-yard
TD run. Watch it again on
this You Tube video. Wonder when somebody’s going to write
a “Beast Mode” song?

Now that we know the Seahawks are going to be traveling to
Chicago to face the Bears, let’s take a minute to look at what
other people were writing about the Seahawks’ stunning victory
and their rematch with the Bears:

Don Banks of SI.com says the Seahawks win over New Orleans tells
us that we shouldn’t pre-judge any outcome of a playoff game. Read
his story
here.

A couple of Chicago players are anxious for revenge. Seattle
beat da Bears23-20 in the Windy City in October. Read the
story here.

And how about this? If the Seahawks win, they could host the NFC
title game at Qwest. Crazy, huh.
Read on.

The always entertaining Norm Chad writes: “Imagine if this
shabby 7-9 team now makes the Super Bowl – the entire East
Coast might sink into the Atlantic Ocean and Peter King might drown
in his venti cup of cinnamon dolce latte.” Read the full story
here.

Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times said the fans “were so
into the game they practically played it. They turned Qwest
Field into decibel hell.” Read his column
here.

Nobody is sure if the Seahawks will offer QB Matt Hasselbeck an
extention, but he had a “ridiculoulsy good day,” on Saturday,
writes John McGrath of the Tacoma News Tribune. Read his
column
here.

Dave Boling of the TNT gives coach Pete Carroll credit for
getting the Seahawks to believe. Read the story
here.

I touched on the same theme in
my column because, well, how else can you explain what the
Seahawks have done the past two weeks. These are not the same
Seahawks who stumbled and bumbled their way through most of the
regular season. Of course, I was also the same guy who predicted
Saints 34, Seahawks 13.